2. Background to the Consultation

The queen scallop,
Aequipecten opercularis, is a medium-sized scallop that
grows to around 80 mm and lives for about 6-8 years. It is found
from Norway to the Mediterranean, although its greatest abundance,
and centre of fishing activity, is in the waters around the
UK, particularly in the
Irish Sea.

A targeted fishery for queen scallops around the British Isles
began in the 1960s. Before then the species was often used as bait
for long-line fishing, or taken as a by-catch in other fisheries.
Over the last 50 years the fishery has expanded and is currently
exploited by vessels from the
UK, the Isle of Man and
the Republic of Ireland, constituting a valuable local fishery with
landings in 2014 of around
10,800 tonnes worth approximately
£5.9 million (sources:
MMO and
DEFA).

There are two methods for catching queen scallops; dredge and
otter trawl, with the dredge fishery contributing approximately 80%
of landings versus 19% by trawl (source:
MMOUK landings between 2006
and 2015).

Over the last 10 years, almost all catches of queen scallop have
been taken from
ICES
divisions VIa and VIIa (Figure 1) - from a relatively small areas
in the south-eastern portion of VIa off Northern Ireland and the
northern half of VIIa, centred on the Isle of Man.

Both the landings and value of queen scallops in the
UK and Isle of Man
increased considerably in the period 2011 to 2013 (Figure 2). Since
then landings have reduced but remain higher than the long-term
average. This is considered to be due to:

Reduced opportunities in other fishing sectors

The development of specific markets for the product

Unusually high recruitment and population levels of the
species across the region between 2009 and 2012